CIRI Announces 2010 Recipients for the Award for Excellence and the Belle<br>Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations

TORONTO, June 16 /CNW/ - The Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) is pleased to announce that Sharon Mathers has been chosen as the 22nd recipient of the Award for Excellence in Investor Relations and Alison Thompson has been chosen as the 1st recipient of the Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations. These individuals were honoured at CIRI's 23rd Annual Investor Relations Conference in Ottawa, Ontario yesterday.

Award for Excellence in Investor Relations

The Award for Excellence in Investor Relations is given by CIRI to honour individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the investor relations profession and to the Institute.

Sharon Mathers is a well-respected investor relations executive and a committed CIRI volunteer. She has more than 25 years of business experience, the last 14 of which were in investor relations and corporate communications. She recently joined CIBC as the Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs. Prior to this, she held the position of Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Canadian Tire Corporation where she led an integrated communications and investor relations team. Before joining Canadian Tire, Sharon was Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications for MDS Inc. She has a Bachelor of Administrative Studies degree from York University and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management. Sharon has dedicated ten years of volunteer service to the organization, holding the position of CIRI Ontario Chapter President and CIRI National Board Chair among others. Through her leadership and commitment she has made a tremendous contribution to CIRI.

"Sharon is smart, hard-working and always ready to share her expertise with others," said Angela Joyce, the 2009 Award recipient. "She has been selected by her peers to receive this prestigious award for her dedication to the investor relations profession and to CIRI."

"I was impressed with Sharon's intelligence and natural leadership skills from the first time I met her when she was at MDS" said Tom Enright, CIRI President & CEO. "Sharon's contribution to the profession and the organization has been enormous."

Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations

The Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations is given by CIRI in honour of the late Belle Mulligan to recognize individuals who have shown singular leadership in one or more aspects of the practice of investor relations.

Alison Thompson has demonstrated leadership through her involvement in developing the Geothermal Code for Public Reporting and through her efforts in the application of this Code, making Magma Energy Corp. the world's first Code-compliant publicly traded geothermal energy company. Alison is the Vice President of Corporate Relations at Magma Energy Corp. and the Founder and Chairman of the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA). She founded the CanGeo in 2007 and has since built this non-profit organization into a respected and influential assembly of industry representatives advocating for the development and commercialization of Canada's geothermal energy resources. Alison has a Bachelor and Master of Chemical Engineering from McGill University, a Professional Engineering designation from APEGGA, a U.S. Engineer Intern designation, as well as a MBA from Queen's University.

"Belle was a very principled and intelligent lady. She had a singleness of purpose that was truly remarkable and enabled her to overcome many challenges throughout her business career. Her contributions to the IR industry are widely acclaimed. I was fortunate to have known this wonderful person for 51 years. I know that Belle would be proud and happy to see talented investor relations officers being recognized annually by an award in her name, thereby contributing to the development of IR in the years to come," said Len Mulligan, Belle's husband.

"Belle Mulligan was the first person I met in investor relations in Canada back in the mid-80s and I am delighted that someone with such high caliber is the inaugural winner of the Belle Mulligan Award for Leadership in Investor Relations," said Tom Enright, CIRI President & CEO. "Alison's excellent work and leadership with respect to the Geothermal Code for Public Reporting has set the bar appropriately high for this award."

About CIRI

CIRI is a professional, not-for-profit association of executives responsible for communication between public corporations, investors and the financial community. CIRI is dedicated to advancing the stature and credibility of the investor relations profession and the competency of its members. With 600 members, CIRI is the world's second largest society of investor relations professionals. For further information, please visit ciri.org.

For further information: Yvette Lokker, Director, Communications & Professional Development, CIRI, [phone], [email protected]